The Athens-Clarke County mayor and commission met for a work session to determine whether public sewer lines could be extended into northern parts of the county.
The mayor and commission discussed extending sewer into areas north of the loop near Sandy Creek. Currently, the county’s sewer line stops near the intersection of Highway-129 and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. According to an outside firm, over 1,500 Athenians use aging septic systems in what they are calling the Sandy Creek Basin.
Commissioner Ovita Thornton of District 9 said she wants to see sewer extension in other parts of the county, not just where new developments are projected.
“I’ve got folk in my district that have learned to live with faulty septic tanks. Help me fix that,” she said.
The commission asked for further information about serving the southern part of the Sandy Creek Basin with sewer rather than the entirety of the area. The firm estimated extending a major sewer line further north into all of Sandy Creek Basin could cost at least $100 million.
Commissioner Melissa Link of District 2 also worried that installing the sewer line near Sandy Creek could pollute the city’s drinking water.
